Beverage dispenser and carbonator



2,194,775 BEVERAGE orsrnnsen AND onneona'ron Jacob A. Stadtfeld, San Francisco, cane, assignor to Donald Golvin, San Francisco, Calif.

Application September 22, 193"?) Serial No. 165,069

3 Claims.

This invention relates to a beverage dispensing device and more particularly to such devices wherein the pressure for dispensing as well as the material for carbonation is generated by the sublimation of solid phase carbon dioxide.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a unit which may be used for dispensing and cooling various types of beverages and liquids wherein there are no coils or other intricate and difllcult apparatus to be cleaned; to provide such a device as this which is entirely selfcontained; and has a. low cost of operation; to

provide such a device wherein there are no moving parts to wear, cause trouble or require replacement.

The present device finds particular utility in connection with cooling such beverages as beer. It an object of the present invention therefore to provide a device'for the dispensing of beer wherein entire keg of beer can be kept cooled and at even proper temperature within the device itself rather than subjecting the beer keg to improper temperatures and relying upon cooling in. cells on the way to the dispensing valve; also assembly and such further objects, advantages and capabilities as will later more fully appear and as are inherently'possessed thereby.

The invention further resides in the combinat on. construction, and arrangement of parts illustrated in the accompanying single sheet oi is ed embodiment and a modification it is to be understood that the same is capable of other mod fications and changes and comprehends ct er details and constructions without depart-- insv .;om the spirit or the scope of the invention.

Referring to the drawing;

is a vertical section taken on the line I---I of Fig. 2 and looking in the direction of the arrows. p

2 is a vertical section taken on a line Illl of Fig. 1 and looking in the direction of the arrows. a

3 is a detail or" a modified form of the carbon dioxide container.

-Fig. 4 is a transverse section taken on the line IV-IV of Fig. 3.

Similar parts in the drawing and in the description of the invention that follows are desig .nated by the same reference characters.

swings and while it is shown therein a pre Referring more particularly to the drawing,

describing the preferred embodiment of the invention, Ill refers to a double walled container or box which is preferably filled with a suitable insulating material II on allsix sides, thus providing a well-insulated container. No particular shape of container is required but preferably it should be large enough so that an entire keg maybe contained. therein and low enough so the keg can be placed therein without difiiculty.

Ordinary ice boxes or refrigerators may be used to make the container It when modified to meet the present condition. The container I0 is provided with a door E2 in the front thereof suitably hinged as at E3 and the arrangement is preferably made in this wayin order to permit the placing of the keg I l-therein withthc minimum effort of liftingand the like. The door I2 is likewise double walled and insulated with suitable material l|., i

Inside of the container Ml .is positioned a smaller container l5 for holding dry ice or solid carbon dioxide I6 and may be of any convenient or desirable shape. The container !5 is so constructed as to be capable of withstanding pressure up to one hundredand fifty pounds (150) per square inch. The closure means must be air and pressure tight and int'he form shown herein comprise a cap- 58 having ears 2% which slip into key ways 2| at the lip of the container thus locking the cap it in position. Manual pressure on the handle 23 further seals the container making it air and pressure tight. Adjacent the container 15 is temperature equalizing and pressure storage chamber M'positioned within the. device It and held in place by brackets 25 or any other convenient means. Leading from the carbon dioxide container 15 to the chamber 24 is a connecting line 25 having a control valve An extension 26a of the line 26 leads within the insulated walls of the container Ill to a from outside of the container without opening the door I2.

leads a flexible tubingtfi which connects with the coupling of a Peerless tap 35 through which pressure is built up in a keg I4. Liquid is withpressure gage 28 the dial of which may'be read drawn from the keg l4 through the tube 36 and through the flexible tubing 31 to the dispensing faucet 38 outside of the container Ill. The keg M rests on a suitable grating 30 in order to save the finish of the inside of the device.

Also located within the device is a temperature control means. This consists of aspiral metal expansion coil 4|, one end of which is secured to bracket 42, and the other end of which has mounted thereon a pad d3 adapted to seal the vent 44 which extends entirely through the side wall of the container ill. The temperature in the container ii] is regulated by changing the position of the coil, controlled by the key 45, to permit more or less communication with the outside air.

In Figs. 3 and 4 there is shown a modification of the present invention in which a solid carbon dioxide container Mia and also preferably the control tank 24 are disposed in vertical position within the container Iii rather than horizontal position as is shown in Figs. 1 and 2 of the drawing. In addition the solid carbon dioxide container i511 is provided with external radial fins 5B and the entire container is adapted to be inserted and held within an outer container 5! open at the top which is filled with water. As will be further described in the operation, the water jacket soon becomes an ice jacket around the container I511. and greatly promotes and prolongs refrigeration. There is very little loss of Water from evaporation and one filling is sufiicient. for a considerable period of operation.

In operation solid carbon dioxide is placed within the closed container IE5, or I5a in the modification of Figs. 3 and 4. Upon sublimation, the solid, carbon dioxide changes at once from the solid phase to the gaseous phase without residue. This builds up the pressure, since the volume of the gaseous phase is approximately 508 times that of the solid phase. The gas under pressure passes through line 26 to the temperature equalizing and pressure storage tank 24. The pressure in line 26 is commmunicated through line 26a and is indicated on the dial of the gage 2 It has been a very grave difficulty with previous containers of the general type that the gas under pressure so created by the sublimation of the solid carbon dioxide was conveyed almost directly to the liquid to be dispensed or carbonated. Solid carbon dioxide has a temperature of about -l.l F. and likewise the gas passing through the line 25 has a similar temperature. By passing the generated gas into the tank Z i it is permitted to equalize in temperature to some extent With that of the air within the box so that freezing of the beverage or liquid will not occur. The tank 24 is also a pressure storage tank so that in the event the supply of solid carbon dioxide becomes ex hausted the operation will continue for as long a period as there is reserve pressure stored in tank 24.

The maintenance of the temperature within the box is controlled by the temperature regulating means and particularly the spiral expansion M, which is of the type usual in thermostats employing two metals having different coefficients of expansion. This metal coil is so sensitive that it will respond to temperature which is within a tolerance of one or two degrees. If the air in the box becomes too cold, coil M will lift the pad away from the vent M, and permit air from the outside to enter therein. As soon as the air on the inside has been warmed to the extent desired in accordance with the setting the coil M presses the pad against the opening of the vent M and thus closes off the entry of warmer air from the outside.

Pressure caused by the sublimation of the dry ice may be built up in the tank 24 retained therein by control valve 2! even after exhaustion of the ice in the container H5. The pressure at the point of release from the tank 24 may be controlled by the valve 3! and registered by gage 32. Thus the gas leaving container 24 will always be at a constant pressure and temperature. The gas under the constant pressure passes through the flexible line 33 to the Peerless tap 35 and into contact with the surface of the liquid within the keg M or any other suitable container. Since beer is already highly carbonated sudden liberation and agitation are not here desired or required and gas is allowed to flow into the container it slowly and at a pressure only high enough to force the beverage up through the tube 36 and out the dispensing nozzle 38.

The form of device shown as modified in Figs. 3 and 4 operates in precisely the same manner except that water is admitted around the outside of the container Ia. Radial fins 50 aid in the heat transference, and the water freezes. The ice so created acts to insulate the CO2 container Eda from the interior of box In, and extends to an appreciable degree, the length of time reqinred to use up the solid carbon dioxide. A similar result may be obtained by changing the setting of the thermostat coil 4|.

To use the device as a carbonator for water, wine, syrup mixed with water and the like, all that is necessary is to adjust the valve 3| to allow the pressure to approximately '75 pounds per square inch. While the pressure is being thus built up, the beverage in the container i4 is being cooled which aids the carbonating of liquids. As soon as the maximum pressure has been so built up then it is released by opening the valve 3! and discharged into the cooled liquid.

I claim: I

1. In a beverage cooling apparatus, an insulated cabinet, a beverage receptacle containing beverage to be dispensed located within said cabinet, a beverage withdrawal conduit communicating the beverage below its liquid level with a dispensing orifice located exteriorly of said cabinet, a combined cooling and pressure forming element locatedv within said cabinet and adapted to contain solid carbon dioxide, a combined carbon dioxide gas storage chamber and heat exchanger located within said cabinet, a conduit connecting said combined cooling and pressure forming element with said combined gas storage chamber and heat exchanger, a conduit connecting said latter element and said beverage container above the level of liquid therein, thermostatic means for communicating the ambient exterior of said cabinet to the ambient interior thereof and in heat exchange relation with said heat exchanger to increase the temperature of the gaseous carbon dioxide therewithin as required, whereby the beverage within the beverage container will be cooled to the proper temperature and its dispensing facilitated.

2. The structure recited in claim 1, a jacket surrounding said cooling and pressure forming solid carbon dioxide container located there within, a beverage contained within said chamher, a combined carbon dioxide gas reservoir and heat exchanger, conduit means connecting said solid carbon dioxide container with said com bined element and a conduit connecting said combined elementwith said beverage container, means for adding heat to said heat exchanger, and means for communicating beverage below its liquid level in said container to a discharge 6 orifice exterior thereof, whereby the beverage within said container will be cooled to the proper temperature and its dispensing facilitated.

JACOB A. STADTFELD. 

